HI All! I found this forum after a little sleuthing on the internet, was looking to find a place to chat about and find info on my newly acquired 1964 J200 Gladiator Thriftside. This truck has a little history, my uncle had picked it up sometime in the '70s and my memories of this truck were playing on it in the fields of my grandpa's farm and I never saw this thing run or drive! Well, my uncle had passed it along to his son who got it running/driving but fell on financial hardships and ended up selling it. It wasn't long before my uncle tracked it back down and bought it back, but the truck had fallen into disrepair. With getting older and having no time to get it fixed up and running again my uncle passed it on to me on the condition i keep it in the family and keep it running. Well hot damn, no sweat there!
So now i have it in the yard and am going over the odds and ends that have been done to this thing since the early 60's. The Tornado six cylinder is long gone and in its place is a 283 from a '66 chevelle. The gas tank is gone, story goes that right after my uncle gassed up on a sunny day the tank straps broke (rusted through) while going down the road during the only moment of rain (good timing!). The road had ground a hole in it by the time he stopped, somehow disaster was avoided and it now has a driver side mounted gas box with some electric fuel pumps feeding the two barrel (yes, two fuel pumps as one hardly gives any fuel pressure so he had tossed on a second one). The rear bumper has some steel plate added, my uncle used it to pull stumps and had to beef it up. The front bumper is insane, it must weight 200lbs or more and has room for a winch, 4 jerry cans, chains, and a toga party! lol maybe not that last one but really its a gnarly piece that is way overbuilt. It is great to stand on when working in the engine bay., the front leaf springs are flat from the weight of it!
The transmission is a T18-1B, and my uncle tells me its the really low ratio first gear, i'll have to do some testing to see what the ratio is. The transfer case i am guessing is the D20 as it is a passenger side orientation for the front axle shaft. The axles are not the original, and are actually the third set of axles to be under the truck. When my uncle bought the truck, it had an open knuckle front axle and a limited slip rear. Then after an accident and such, he had a shop throw in a new set of axles that was from some kind of jeep that was supposedly a year older which puts it back to a normal closed knuckle setup.
I have had some issue trying to get info on these axles, here's the #s if anyone has time to check it out and i'll probably put this info in a seperate post. The rear axle is definitely cast 63, not 53 unless my eyes are just that bad.
Front Axle:
@2 oclock "44-1F" or "-IF"
@4 oclock "US PAT 2018188"
@8 oclock didnt record
@10 oclock "031019"
Tag: 930761 4.27 47-11
Axle Tube Stamp: 2184B5 2553
Rear Axle
Diff Ear Stamp:
@2 oclock "63"
@4 oclock "US PAT 2 018 188"
@8 oclock "US PAT 1988 612"
@10 oclock "18698"
Tag: 914537 4.27 47-11
Axle Tube Stamp 214 4B1 2285
Transmission Stamp: T18-1B WG DV
Transfer Case
Tailshaft stamp: C18-19-44
Tag: 300535 ??? 545108 (three characters are hard to read, 187?)
Anyways, hope to use this forum to update progress on this truck as i get it ready for the road and a wee bit of wheeling. Eventually i hope to give it to my son to drive, he's 11 now so its going to be coming sooner than later!